► Ashgrove, 23 Mar: 'We are exhausted today'

(18079) Large party at student house on the south side of Ashgrove Road, on Fri/Sat 23/24 March 2019. Loud beat music and a lot of noise from people outside at the front of the property, and sometimes in the street.

Several residents, including me, have complained to the University of Bristol. I called the police at about 3:15 am in relation to people in the street, and was told "we've had several calls about this event". I was told officers would attend when available, but others have said police did not attend.

This property was previously cited in a noise complaint in October. It is also next door to the house where a large party attended by 130-plus students took place in November. The two properties are owned by the same landlord and run by the same agents.

Resident 1 (Ashgrove Road) says in his complaint to the university that the party lasted from 10pm until around 4am. He believes the party was organised with the help of "the same person/company as last year’s very noisy and disturbing party" at the house next door. In a separate email he says there was a "massive" sound system and bouncers were controlling access.

The resident says he went to ask the students to turn the music down "on three occasions before midnight and my wife went one last time just after my third visit." At 2am his wife "felt powerless" and was crying. His 11-years-old daughter was also severely affected, but the music and noise "got louder towards 4am".

"We called the police multiple times and were promised a response after the second, third and a fourth call, without any result at all. ... We are exhausted today and feel let down by [the] university, local council and police."

Resident 2 (Ashgrove Road) writes to the university: "Yet again we have to report a noisy, thumping party that ran from when we returned home at 22.15 last night until just past 05.00 this morning. You never share your actions and disciplinary decisions with us, their neighbours and permanent residents, but it seems that whatever you do does not work and does not act as a deterrent. It was only last term we had to write to you about [xx] Ashgrove Road, and I watched as several students from that address walked to [xx] Ashgrove Road to join the event."

Resident 3 (Chertsey Road) says in an email to me: "We endured an extremely noisy party that went on till at least 4am. It spilled out onto their car park with numerous gatecrashers outside shouting. The music was very, very loud and boomed across the gardens adjoining our house at [xx] Chertsey Road ... I reported it to the police, who logged it at 2am." In a follow-up email, he adds: "This is not the first very noisy party at this particular house. It has become a regular occurrence over the years." (Update: This resident confirms he also complained to UoB.)

Resident 4 (Hampton Park) writes to the university: "I must complain about a very loud party held in Ashgrove Road on Friday night. This is becoming a regular occurrence and the disturbance is horrendous, late into the early morning. Please do something about it. We are at our wit's end."

Resident 5 (me, Hampton Road): In my complaint to the university, I said: "At one point I could hear the noise almost 200m away at the junction of Chandos and Collingwood Roads. I could also hear it in my bedroom, which is 100m away, and when I went to bed it kept me awake. For a considerable period, there was a group of people talking (and later arguing) loudly on the forecourt between the property and the public pavement, with noise echoing down the street. Eventually some of this group migrated into the road itself. Some were waiting for taxis and left when they arrived; others just seemed to have decided to spread out, and were drinking in the middle of the street. At this point I called 101 and the call was logged. The handler said they had had "quite a few calls about this event" and officers would attend when available. Whether they ever did, I don't know. As usual, we had someone being sick in the gutter and a couple of people peeing in the street."

I also noted that "my first intimation of what was happening at Ashgrove Road came when I observed a noisy straggle of about a dozen students on Hampton Road near Abbotsford Road, heading northwards shortly before 1am. Since I was on my way home I tracked them from the opposite footpath. Some of this group made an outrageous din all the way to Ashgrove, which is a distance of more than 400m."

(Update with further comments received)

Resident 6 (Bamford Terrace): "We were indeed disturbed by the Friday-night party ... Ashgrove Rd party noise does indeed travel as far as us and causes us sleepless nights—on Friday night, as usual, it was the incessant music noise and loud voices with their windows open."